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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization
Published on: November 16, 2016
Capsule production promotes Group B Streptococcus intestinal colonization
Michelle J Vaz1, Sophia Dongas1, Adam J Ratner1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine , New York, New York, USA.
Importance:
The establishment of GBS intestinal colonization is believed to be a critical precursor to late-onset disease in neonates, which has a significant impact on neurodevelopment outcomes in this population. Our prior work described a murine model of postnatal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) acquisition and invasive disease. Using this model, we explored the importance of GBS polysaccharide capsule production on gastrointestinal colonization. We found that the expression of capsule (compared to isogenic acapsular strains) provides an advantage in intestinal colonization and, importantly, that capsule type Ia has an advantage over capsule type III in a GBS A909 strain background. We speculate that specific serotypes may differ in colonization fitness, which may play a role in serotype distribution in neonatal disease.
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